An explosive barbell movement that lifts the weight from the floor to the front rack by powerful hip and knee extension and a rapid drop-under; it primarily develops the legs, hips, upper back, shoulders, and arms.
How to do the Power Clean#
- Stand with feet about shoulder-width, brace your core, keep a neutral spine, and grip the barbell with a pronated grip just outside shoulder width.
- Begin the lift by driving through your heels: extend your knees and hips while keeping the bar close to your body.
- When the bar passes the knees, forcefully extend the hips and knees to accelerate the bar upward.
- As the bar reaches its peak, drop quickly beneath it into a shallow front-rack catch on the shoulders.
- Stand up to full extension to complete the rep, then lower the bar under control or reset for the next repetition.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Glutes, Quads, Traps
- Secondary: Hamstrings, Calves, Lower back, Upper back, Front delts
Common mistakes#
- Using the arms to lift early instead of generating force from the hips.
- Allowing the bar to drift away from the body during the pull.
- Rounding the lower back during the initial pull.
- Catching too deep into a full squat instead of a shallow front rack.
